Northern Kentucky men's basketball is set to compete in the National Invitation Tournament, which is the oldest college basketball tournament. It was first contested in 1938, with the NCAA starting its own tournament one year later.
 
For the first several decades, the NIT was the preeminent tournament in the country. Six teams participated in the first tournament, with Temple winning the championship by virtue of a 60-36 decision over Colorado. In its 80-year history, the field expanded seven different times, eventually reaching 40 teams in 2002. However, the field was condensed to its current 32-team format in 2007.
 
Bill Bradley, an All-American at Princeton, NBA champion with the New York Knicks and former U.S. senator, said in his book A Sense of Where You Are: Bill Bradley at Princeton, "The winner of the National Invitation Tournament was regarded as more of a national champion than the actual, titular, national champion, or winner of the NCAA tournament."
 
In fact, teams would often receive bids to both tournaments and regularly turned down the NCAA bid in favor of the NIT bid. This practice continued for the first 30 years of the tournaments, with notable squads such as Bob Knight's 1968 Army team and Al McGuire's eighth-ranked 1970 Marquette team both choosing the NIT appearance over the NCAA Tournament.
 
While the NCAA Tournament is the marquee March event in today's college basketball climate, the NIT is still considered a prestigious postseason tournament that features a group of at-large invitees as well as regular-season conference champions that do not receive bids to the NCAA tournament.
 
St. John's has won the NIT six times in its history, more than any other program. This should come as no surprise since Madison Square Garden has served as the host site for the semifinals and finals since the mid-70s. And, prior to that time, MSG hosted the entire event. St. John's is located in Queens, 12 miles from Madison Square Garden's Manhattan location.
 
Regional teams have fared well in the tournament, with Dayton winning the event three times, including a 2010 title over North Carolina. Kentucky has two titles. Xavier one. Louisville one.
 
Wichita State, one of NKU's peer institutions, won the title in 2011.
 
Northern Kentucky learns its fate in the field on Sunday, March 11, when the seeding and bracket will be announced on ESPNU from 8:30-9 p.m.